S2270

An Act concerning a Chief Accountability Officer in the Office of the Governor and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. The Governor shall appoint a Chief Accountability Officer who shall serve in the Office of the Governor. The officer shall report directly to the Governor.

The officer shall be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The officer shall serve for a term of five years and until the appointment and qualification of a successor. The officer may be reappointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate for any number of successive terms. The officer may be removed by the Governor only for cause upon notice and opportunity to be heard.

The officer shall be a person qualified by education, training, and prior work experience to perform the duties and functions and fulfill the responsibilities of the position. The officer shall devote full time to the duties, responsibilities, and functions of the position and shall receive a salary as shall be commensurate with duties, responsibilities, and functions of the position.

The officer shall submit requests for the budget of the office directly to the Governor who shall review the requests and forward them to the Division of Budget and Accounting in the Department of the Treasury.

b. The Chief Accountability Officer shall establish a system to ensure that the officers named in this subsection conduct their duties, audits, investigations, and reviews in consultation, coordination, and cooperation with the Chief Accountability Officer.

The Chief Accountability Officer shall ensure that the duties, audits, investigations, and reviews of the officers named in this subsection are conducted in accordance the laws, rules, and regulations of this State and in accordance with any prevailing national and professional standards, rules, and practices relating to such duties, audits, investigations, and reviews in government environments.

The Chief Accountability Officer shall supervise the activities of the following officers of the State government, notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary:

Inspector General, Department of Transportation

Director of the Division of Internal Audit, New Jersey Transit Corporation

Ombudsman, Board of Public Utilities

Insurance Claims Ombudsman, Department of Banking and Insurance

New Jersey Special Education Ombudsman, Department of Education

Student Loan Ombudsman, Department of Banking and Insurance

NJ ESSA Nonpublic Ombudsman

Smart Growth Ombudsman, Department of Community Affairs

Small Business Ombudsman, Department of State

Executive Director, State Agriculture Development Committee

Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and their Families, Department of Human Services State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Department of Human Services

Office of Corrections Ombudsperson, Department of Corrections

Military and Defense Economic Ombudsman, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs

Compliance Review Officer, State Ethics Commission

State Comptroller, Department of the Treasury

Command Inspector General, New Jersey National Guard

c. The Chief Accountability Officer shall establish the internal organizational structure of the office in a manner appropriate to carrying out the duties and functions, and fulfilling the responsibilities, of the office. The officer shall have the power to appoint, employ, promote, and remove such assistants, employees, and personnel as the officer deems necessary for the efficient and effective administration of the office. All such assistants, employees and personnel shall be deemed confidential employees for purposes of the "New Jersey Employer-Employee Relations Act," P.L.1941, c. 100 (C.34:13A-1 et seq.).

The officer is authorized to call upon any department, office, division, or agency of State government to provide such information, resources, or other assistance deemed necessary to discharge the duties and functions and to fulfill the responsibilities of the office. Each department, office, division, and agency of this State shall cooperate with the office and furnish the office with the assistance necessary to accomplish the purposes of this section.

d. The Chief Accountability Officer shall meet at periodic intervals, but at least twice annually, with the officers named in subsection b. of this section or as often the officer deems necessary for the purpose of consulting, coordinating, and cooperating with those officers in the conduct of their duties, responsibilities, and functions.

The focus of all parties during such meetings shall be to: facilitate communication and exchange information on completed, current, and future audits, investigations, and reviews; avoid duplication and fragmentation of efforts; optimize the use of resources; avoid divisiveness and organizational uncertainty; promote effective working relationships; and avoid the unnecessary expenditure of public funds.

e. The Chief Accountability Officer shall provide periodic reports to the Governor, and shall issue an annual report to the Governor and to the Legislature in accordance with section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), which shall be available to the public.

2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill requires the Governor to appoint a Chief Accountability Officer who will report directly to the Governor. The officer shall be a person qualified by education, training, and prior work experience to perform the duties and functions and fulfill the responsibilities of the position. The officer will be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate and will serve for a term of five years.

The Chief Accountability Officer will establish a system to ensure that the officers named in this bill conduct their duties, audits, investigations, and reviews in consultation, coordination, and cooperation with the Chief Accountability Officer.

The Chief Accountability Officer will ensure that the duties, audits, investigations, and reviews of the officers named in this bill are conducted in accordance the laws, rules, and regulations of this State and in accordance with any prevailing national and professional standards, rules, and practices relating to such duties, audits, investigations, and reviews in government environments.

The Chief Accountability Officer will supervise the activities of the following officers of the State government:

Inspector General, Department of Transportation

Director of the Division of Internal Audit, New Jersey Transit Corporation

Ombudsman, Board of Public Utilities

Insurance Claims Ombudsman, Department of Banking and Insurance

New Jersey Special Education Ombudsman, Department of Education

Student Loan Ombudsman, Department of Banking and Insurance

NJ ESSA Nonpublic Ombudsman

Smart Growth Ombudsman, Department of Community Affairs

Small Business Ombudsman, Department of State

Executive Director, State Agriculture Development Committee

Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and their Families, Department of Human Services State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Department of Human Services

Office of Corrections Ombudsperson, Department of Corrections

Military and Defense Economic Ombudsman, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs

Compliance Review Officer, State Ethics Commission

State Comptroller, Department of the Treasury

Command Inspector General, New Jersey National Guard

The Chief Accountability Officer will establish the internal organizational structure of the office in a manner appropriate to carrying out the duties and functions, and fulfilling the responsibilities, of the office. Each department, office, division and agency of this State is required to cooperate with the office and furnish the office with the assistance necessary to accomplish the purposes of this section.

The Chief Accountability Officer is required to meet at periodic intervals, but at least twice annually, with the officers named in this bill for the purpose of consulting, coordinating, and cooperating with those officers in the conduct of their duties, responsibilities, and functions.

The focus of all parties during such meetings will be to: facilitate communication and exchange information on completed, current, and future audits, investigations, and reviews; avoid duplication and fragmentation of efforts; optimize the use of resources; avoid divisiveness and organizational uncertainty; promote effective working relationships; and avoid the unnecessary expenditure of public funds.

The Chief Accountability Officer will provide periodic reports to the Governor and issue an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature, which will be available to the public.